Blood Market
by M.C.E.Black
Summary: Before Graverobber was the Graverobber, he was Eli Stone, and the world was going to Hell. For Eli, his job was to make them forget, to no longer feel the pain of their mistakes, and it was easy, until GeneCo decided the world should instead, suffer.


**Disclaimer:** I do not own Repo! The Genetic Opera or any of the related titles.

**A/N:** So, recently, I've become absolutely obsessed with Repo! The Genetic Opera. I have seen it about a hundred times in a week, and listen to the music almost religiously. Haha. So, I decided to try writing my own Repo! Fanfic. I'm rather excited about it, because Graverobber is officially my favorite character. He will not be known as "Graverobber" just yet, as this is telling the story behind him, but will be the Graverobber we all know and love soon enough. I hope you guys enjoy it. It's a little longer than I intended it to be.

**Chapter 1: Feet.**

Sparks crackled, floating upward from the orange glow of the flames. The smoke poured from the barrel like a thick liquid, wrapping around the tall, thin legs of Eli Stone. His jeans barely clung to his frail figure, though his long coat created the illusion he was much larger than he really was. Standing alone at his fireplace, his eyes darted upward to the groups of others crowding around their own.

Three years. He'd been out on his own already for nearly three years, and still the others hadn't quite accepted him as one of their own. Each one rotting. Each one marked. Each one failing. Each one already failed. They wanted nothing to do with the eighteen-year-old boy who'd stumbled one day into their alley. He had nothing to offer them. No hope. No help. No future.

Around them stood the carnage that was once a thriving city. Eli could barely remember what it was like before the plague hit. Things started to turn around 2034, but he was only a mere toddler at the time. His Mother, whom he couldn't remember for the life of him, even when he tried really hard, had deserted him. Perhaps she died once the plague hit, her lungs or her heart crumbling to pieces inside her. Or perhaps she'd had so much surgery, he wouldn't have been able to recognize her anyway. She could have been anyone he passed by on the street.

But Eli didn't care about his Mother. She hadn't been there for him, therefore she never existed; just as many others withered and faded into oblivion, without a single wince from the world.

Like it's citizens, the walls of the cities decayed and disintegrated right before their very eyes. Rising above the destruction, glowing like a neon light from God, the GeneCo sign flickered. Eli could just see it above the brick walls of the factory. He shook his head slightly, his long dark hair dancing about his face. He didn't understand Rotti Largo, or any of his relatively insane children, and their obsession with the act of surgery. The people lurking in the alleys weren't much different, however. They were all guilty of several surgeries a week, altering their appearances beyond recognition. GeneCo may have seen it as the salvation of the human race, but really their intentions were not so pure.

It was cold, he realized, much colder than it'd been only moments before. Glancing down, the orange embers began to fade, his fire nearly extinguished. If he wanted to stay warm, he'd have to move to someone else's fire and join the group. He stared at them for a few seconds, his gloved hands above the dwindling heat. They didn't appear inviting. No, he'd have to go somewhere else.

"Kid…" a voice sounded from somewhere behind him.

His head jerked upward, his eyes darting around for the source. No one looked his way. He must have been hearing things.

"Pssst…Kid!" the voice repeated, this time sounding much more urgent. His hands fell to his sides as he whirled around, convinced that this time he'd truly heard something. No one else seemed to notice.

He stared hard at the corner of the building. It intersected with another, creating a dark crevasse. Narrowing his eyes, he searched for the slightest sign of a human being. He nearly jumped as a face appeared, hovering in the darkness.

"Are you coming or not?" the face asked. The voice was distinctly female, though the face he could barely make out. He couldn't tell who was speaking to him.

Eli looked back over his shoulder. The others still had not moved from their spots, their murmuring low and incoherent. Turning back to the floating head, he gestured toward himself.

"Me?" he asked softly.

"No, the idiot next to you," she hissed sarcastically. "Yes, you! Follow me!"

Eli didn't have much of a choice. His fire would die completely soon. Despite the cold, he'd make his way across town to the old train stations. There'd he'd fashioned himself a little home, the best he could with what he had - which was less than nothing. No one had discovered it yet, and he liked it that way.

But the girl in front of him caught his attention. Returning to his "home" could wait. Perhaps she had something to show him. Rubbing his hands together, he started forward. She smiled at him, pleased to find cooperation.

Following her around the corner, Eli searched for her in the even darker alley he'd entered. In the distance, he could just barely make out the form of a thin woman bounding along the stone ground. Her hands occasionally grazed the walls, feeling her way around. Eli felt jealousy rise inside him, envious of her ability to move so easily in the shadows.

The path she chose for them twisted and doubled back on itself several times. A few times, Eli questioned her intentions. He still had no idea who she was. She could have been a spy from GeneCo searching for whatever, or whoever, it was they were always searching for in this part of town. Numerous times, Eli witnessed men in decorated suits, emblazoned with the GeneCo logo, march into his alley, taking several of the others who resided there. Homelessness wasn't illegal - in fact, it had become quite rampant during the impending end of humanity. They were searching for something. The people around him were involved in something he wasn't, nor was he interested in finding out what it was. He rather enjoyed his oblivious lifestyle.

Eli nearly crashed into the woman's back as she stopped suddenly, the moonlight washing over them. They finally emerged from the winding corridors between the crumbling buildings, looking out at a wide cemetery on the other side of the road. Vehicles too, had long since disappeared. Rotti Largo and GeneCo owned their company vehicles, but with the debt rate rising, no one else could possibly afford to keep their own. Since then, the streets too, were nowhere near as beautiful as they'd once been.

"Watch your step…" the girl said as he bumped into her. She only turned her head slightly to glance at him, not making eye contact. "But stay close."

Eli watched her carefully as she hesitantly made her way across the road. She hopped and leapt, avoiding the large potholes. Landing on the other side, she turned around completely, facing him expectantly. It was the first time he could truly see her.

Certainly older than he was, she stood nearly six feet tall, her face worn and dirty. However, despite the layer of grime on her skin, Eli could tell the woman would clean up well, if she were given a decent bar of soap. Perhaps once she'd been beautiful. Her tangled black hair swept down her back, dancing about her waist. It cut across her forehead in a elegant sweep, the frizz somehow adding to her destroyed beauty. He blinked a few times, wondering if the moon was only playing tricks on him, or if her hair truly was more than one color. Blue wasn't unheard of, but still surprised him. Just above her left eyebrow, a long blonde streak stood out from the rest.

She dressed quite heavily for someone who moved with such balance and grace. Her black pants clung to her legs tightly, thick clunky boots covering her feet. Over what looked like an old thin t-shirt, she wore a dark green sweatshirt, and even still, over that, a long fur-covered coat.

"Are you just going to stare all night, or are you going to cross the damn street?" she asked, rather frustrated with her companion.

Eli felt his cheeks grow hot. Tucking his hands quickly into his pockets, he looked down at the ground and hurried across the street, his foot nearly catching on one of the holes. He recovered quickly, but he was certain she'd seen him.

"Good," she said. "Let's go."

She turned on her heel and reached for the gate to the cemetery. Eli looked around nervously. Going into the cemetery was illegal outside a funeral. He'd heard rumors about devastatingly dark deeds occurring within the iron fence.

"What?" she asked, noticing the hesitant look on his face as she pulled at the large lock.

Eli swallowed hard. "Are we going in there?"

The girl smirked, leaning on the gate playfully. "What?" she laughed. "Afraid of a couple dead bodies, kid?"

He shook his head quickly. Being afraid of the dead was stupid, she was right. He'd lived on his own since he was fourteen. If he could handle that, in the world he saw around him, he could just about handle anything. Many would agree. Dead bodies and a couple old creepy crawlies were nothing to be afraid of.

"Good," she said, gripping the bars tight. "'Cause we're hoppin' the fence."

Eli hardly had the chance to let the words fall around him before the girl landed hard on the other side, grinning back at him, her teeth stark white against the dark of her face. He was surprised how brilliant they were in comparison to the rest of her.

"Come on, Kid," she taunted. "Don't tell me you've never hopped a fence before."

"Of course I have," Eli said defiantly. This was, of course, a lie, but her teasing was starting to get to him. He didn't have much to be prideful about, but he still had some kind of dignity. Somewhere. He wouldn't let her get away with this.

He grabbed the railings of the fence, gripping them tightly. The fence itself only came to about his height. It couldn't be too hard, he thought. Especially if she'd done it so easily. All he had to do was lift and -

"Ouch!" she cringed, laughing a little. She covered her mouth politely, trying to hide the humor she found in his pain.

Eli still stood - rather knelt now - on the other side of the fence, gripping his stomach. He'd managed to leap halfway up, but caught himself on the jagged top, scratching himself up pretty bad. The girl crouched down on her side, peering through the bars at him.

"You okay?" she asked, a strange tone of concern in her voice.

Eli shook his head, pulling his hand away from the scrapes. He'd gotten most of his chest and stomach. Dripping with blood, his hands glimmered in the moonlight. The girl shook her head.

"Once you help me, I'll be able to do something about the pain…" she said. "I can't do much for the blood, but I have a few friends who can. We'll fix you up."

"I d-don't think I can move…" Eli said. He felt his stomach turn. He was going to be sick all over the pavement. The pain was just too much to bear. Why had he done something so stupid?

"You're fine," she said, getting back to her feet, suddenly unsympathetic. "You're better off than most of the people out there right now. Suck it up." She turned away from him and started across the lawn, between the headstones. "And get your ass over here."

Eli forced himself up, brushing the dirt off his already filthy clothes. He grimaced as he faced the fence once again, cursing it for being so high. His eyes fell again to the lock on the gate, wondering if there were another way around. Much to his luck, just inside the gate, an old shovel sat against the fence. Eli peeked back at the girl, who was still walking away from him, and decided to make his move. Reaching his hands through the bars, he snatched the shovel and braced himself, ready to beat the lock right off the chain.

It took him a couple tries, and the woman had doubled back, screaming at him to stop before he managed to break it off. Triumphantly, he yanked the broken chain from the gate and tossed it aside, letting the doors swing forward, welcoming him to the graveyard.

"What did you do that for?" she growled, pulling him away from the fence as quickly as she could. She continued to peek over her shoulder for another person. Hopefully no one had heard the ruckus. "Are you trying to get us killed? You know it's illegal to be in here!"

"I just thought -" Eli tried to explain himself.

"You've got balls, kid," she admitted. "It's not something I would have been willing to try, and you pulled it off. We'll have to do something to hide it when we get back, but you've definitely got balls, kid."

She finally let go of him, approaching a very large tomb. Standing next to it, she ran her fingers along the detailing in the stone, tracing them carefully. After a few long moments of silence, she looked up at him.

"Are you wondering why I brought you here?" she asked.

Eli didn't say anything. Of course he was. Anyone would want to know what they were doing in the middle of a cemetery with a stranger at such an ungodly hour. But perhaps, to her, the reason was obvious. Eli didn't want her to know he missed the logic completely.

"I've been watching you, kid…" she said, looking again at the name on the tomb. Smithson. She'd known a Smithson once, but that wasn't the important part of her mission. "I think you have some great potential."

"Potential for what?" he almost laughed. He didn't have potential for anything. He existed, and that was all. He couldn't even call it living. He did nothing, every single day, all day, nothing. He suddenly frowned, taking in what she really said.

She'd been watching him? She didn't look familiar. He was certain he'd never seen her before. Perhaps she was quite mistaken.

"Do I know you?" he asked, carefully, not giving her the chance to answer his first question. He didn't want to sound rude, although she didn't seem to be holding back.

She laughed loudly, the sound ripping through the dead silence. "Everyone knows who I am, kid," she said. "In fact, I might be the most wanted person alive."

Eli had been under the impression everyone wanted Amber Sweet, Rotti Largo's daughter. He'd never seen Amber in person, but he'd seen posters and flyers on the buildings an in the alleys with her picture on them. Her face always changed, but the name stayed the same. He highly doubted the girl in front of him, the one under a thick layer of dust and dirt, was Amber Sweet.

The girl frowned, leaning against the tomb. "Really? Really, you've never heard of me?" she asked. "The Graverobber?"

"Grave robbing is illegal," Eli said, suddenly feeling incredibly stupid for pointing out the obvious. He didn't know quite why it was illegal, but he knew that much. The cemeteries were completely forbidden territory.

"I know that," she said, her mocking grin returning. "I, of all people, know that."

Eli suddenly realized what they were doing in the cemetery in the first place. He couldn't believe he hadn't thought of it before. The girl was recruiting into some kind of illegal activity. He had to turn back. He'd seen the signs before. Graverobbers, or anyone caught grave robbing, were to be "executed on sight." GeneCo law.

"The job takes it's toll on me, kid," she continued. "My arms and legs aren't quite what they used to be," she gestured for him to move closer, her other hand still resting upon the large stone slab. "I can't get into these things anymore, but it's very vital that I do so. So…" she glanced up at him, rubbing her hand along the edge of the tomb. "I need someone to help me get inside. Think you got the muscles, kid?"

Eli's desert-like mouth ran, if possible, even drier. For a boy on the street, drinks only came when someone kind enough to stop for a moment would drop something off for them. A half-filled bottle of orange juice. The last few sips of a water bottle. Eli had gotten incredibly lucky once, when a beautiful older woman took great interest in him, and left him with three whole water bottles, nice and chilled. They didn't stay cold, but the refreshment was welcomed whole-heartedly. The others stared in jealousy, but Eli refused to shared. The woman had given them to him. Needless to say, though, Eli's cracked lips stung with pain as he attempted to hide his nervousness.

"Come on, all you have to do is push…" she said, reaching for his arm. She gripped it tightly, pulling him close. Eli felt his stomach twist painfully. This couldn't possibly be okay.

Pressing his hands against the lid, he avoided the gaze of the girl standing next to him. It would only take a couple seconds, and he would never have to deal with something like this ever again. Despite his reservations, as soon as the stone began to slip, the pain that once held his stomach and nerves dissipated. He paused for a moment, staring at the tomb as a new feeling surged through his body, a feeling he'd never experienced before. His eyes grew wide, and the corners of his mouth twisted upward into a smile. He felt powerful, forcing the large block from its base.

"Okay that's enough!" she said quickly, moving in front of him.

Eli stepped back reluctantly. Curiosity washed over him, and he longed more than anything to see what lay inside the tomb. He'd never seen a dead body before. Just what was it the Graverobber wanted?

She stood in front of him, reaching into the tomb. With a few short tugs, she managed to pull a tightly wrapped body from within down onto the ground beside them. Eli stared in wonder, watching her as she knelt down next to it, pulling something long and silver from her pocket.

"Perfect…" she muttered, pulling the wrappings away from the body's decomposing face. "Absolutely perfect…" She stopped short, turning around to look up at him. "Close your eyes," she instructed.

Eli blinked slowly. "Why?"

"Because I said so," she said.

Eli didn't argue, though he wanted to see what she was going to do. Perhaps he could peek when her back was turned. Anticipating this, she turned just as he slid his fingers open and shot him a dangerous glare.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, kid…" she warned, watching him close until he'd covered his eyes completely. "If you know what's good for you, you won't want to watch this."

Sighing heavily, Eli obeyed her orders, waiting patiently for her to indicate when it was safe for him to open his eyes again. It came moments later when he heard her stand, her arm brushing against his.

"I need you to put her back into the tomb…" she said.

Eli dropped his hand. He noticed something glowing bright and blue in the girl's hand before she tucked it safely in her pocket. He didn't move.

"What's that?" he asked.

"It's a dead body," she said sharply. "Don't think too hard about it, kid."

Eli knew it was pointless trying to get an answer from the girl. Shaking his head, he brushed his long hair out of his face and leaned over, lifting the corpse awkwardly back into the tomb. The body landed with a loud crack that sent gross chills down Eli's spine. Bodies weren't supposed to make that sound. He had to remind himself the woman couldn't feel it.

Without having her to instruct him to, Eli quickly replaced the top of the tomb and brushed off his aching hands. The stone was much heavier than it had been before, or so it seemed that way. He didn't know why.

Just as he started toward the Graverobber, sirens tore through the night air. The Graverobber froze, her eyes catching his. Eli whirled about, searching for the source. He'd heard the sound before, but never knew where it came from.

"What is that?" he yelled out to her, clapping his hands over his ears.

She grabbed his arm roughly, pulling him forward. "Come on!" she insisted.

Above them, the roar of helicopter propellers caught their attention. Eli looked up, horrified. Men in dark suits shined lights down at them, following their every move. The Graverobber ducked behind tombs, dragging him with her. When he tried to get an answer out of her, she hit him, ignoring his questions completely.

Taking an incredible running start, the Graverobber bounded forward, launching herself over a part of the gate. The helicopters were not the only ones following them. Men on foot, their faces guarded by masks, marched into the cemetery, very large weapons in their hands. Eli immediately regretted his decision to help her. He had no idea what he'd just gotten himself into. And he couldn't scale the fence like she could, as they'd already discovered.

"Come on, kid!" she hissed back at him, when she realized he was no longer behind him. He continued to stare at the fence blankly. "You have to jump!"

Closing his eyes, he went for it. He didn't scale it in one try, but he clung to the metal tightly, his fingers nearly breaking from the strain to keep him up. He was skinny, thankfully, but that didn't stop the endeavor from being difficult. A shot ran out, stopping him in mid-climb.

The Graverobber fell to the ground, covering her head. "Jesus, kid! You're going to get us killed!"

Eli thought his heart was going to jump right out of his chest. If it didn't stop beating so fast, it was going to rip a hole right through him and fall out onto the ground in front of him. He couldn't move. They were gaining on him – whoever these people were – and they weren't going to let him go quietly. The bullet had only missed him by an inch, or two.

Another fire from a gun, this time much closer than the first. This seemed to shock him back into life as he forced himself upward. He caught his pant leg on the top of the fence, and it ripped loudly, but he landed on the other side safely with a hard 'flump'. Rubbing the spot where he landed, he got to his feet. He didn't have the chance to collect himself. The girl grabbed him again and yanked him forward down a nearby alley. Eli didn't know where she was taking him, but thought it safest to keep following her.

Rounding a corner, she ducked low, cupping her hand over his mouth as she pulled him down beside her. Her chest heaved, her eyes focused somewhere down the alley. They could still hear the helicopters, but they seemed to be fading.

The girl dropped her hand from his mouth and rest her head against the cold brick of the wall. She let her eyes close for a moment before she heaved herself to her feet.

"Good job, kid…" she said, quite breathless. "I haven't seen a run-in like that in ages. Usually keep under the GeneCo radar as much as I can, you know. But you…" she breathed deeply. "You definitely passed the first part of the test…"

"Test?" Eli looked up quickly, only to find her walking away from him. She disappeared in the heavy shadows. "Graverobber? Where are you going? What test?"

He scrambled to his feet, following her. She didn't turn back to look at him. Eli pressed his hand to the wall, ensuring he wouldn't crash into something. In the darkness, he could see nothing.

"Don't ask questions," she said finally. "Just keep following me. We've got a lot of work to do…"

**A/N:** So there it is. Haha. The very long first chapter. I've got a few ideas for this, so we'll see where it goes! Let me know what you guys think!

-M.


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